The new temporary venue opened for a brief three-show season last year and promoters at Live Nation and the City of Irvine have been pushing for patrons to take advantage of the close proximity of public transportation. Trains leave from Los Angeles, Fullerton, Anaheim, Santa Ana, San Diego, Solana Beach, Oceanside and San Juan Capistrano to the Irvine station and the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner offers late-night service on FivePoint Amphitheatre show dates with return trains that leave about a half hour after the performances with fares ranging from about $20-$40 per person round-trip.

Tom Araya of Slayer performs to a sold-out audience at the FivePoint Amphitheater in Irvine on Friday evening, May 11, 2018. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Kerry King of Slayer performs to a sold-out audience at the FivePoint Amphitheater in Irvine on Friday evening, May 11, 2018. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

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Kerry King of Slayer performs to a sold-out audience at the FivePoint Amphitheater in Irvine on Friday evening, May 11, 2018. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Tom Araya of Slayer performs to a sold-out audience at the FivePoint Amphitheater in Irvine on Friday evening, May 11, 2018. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Randy Blythe of the band Lamb of God performs at the FivePoint Amphitheater in Irvine on Friday evening, May 11, 2018. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Gary Holt of Slayer performs to a sold-out audience at the FivePoint Amphitheater in Irvine on Friday evening, May 11, 2018. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Randy Blythe of the band Lamb of God performs at the FivePoint Amphitheater in Irvine on Friday evening, May 11, 2018. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Randy Blythe of the band Lamb of God performs at the FivePoint Amphitheater in Irvine on Friday evening, May 11, 2018. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

A concertgoer crowd surfs during a performance by the band Anthrax at the FivePoint Amphitheater in Irvine on Friday evening, May 11, 2018. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Randy Blythe of the band Lamb of God performs at the FivePoint Amphitheater in Irvine on Friday evening, May 11, 2018. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

Numerous fans took advantage of that service and the special two-for-one adult ticket fare (using promo code V316) on Friday night, the official kick-off of FivePoint Amphitheatre’s very first full concert season and a stop on pioneering thrash metal band Slayer’s final tour.

It was also the first sold-out concert at the venue, with 12,000 metal fans congregating and getting rowdy – even in the rain. The party continued after the show on the train, which offers bar service to those 21 and older. Hardcore loyalists shared their favorite moments of the night while throwing back a beer and talking about how smart they were for taking the train as we all witnessed the long line of vehicles – which paid anywhere from $20-$100 to park – snake slowly out of the venue.

After 37 years together Slayer, which originated in Huntington Park, announced that it would officially embarked on a farewell tour. Previous performances in the area by the quartet had been a bit lackluster in the past handful of years. The band has always had incredible musicians and have put on quite the show for its fans, but Friday night had a different feel.

It was all heart and muscle with not an ounce dialed in. Guitarist Kerry King, vocalist and bassist Tom Araya, drummer Paul Bostaph and guitarist Gary Holt were all totally in sync and looked to be having a great time. It was the final show in Orange County and the band members made it feel special despite the environmental elements.

Throughout the night Araya just couldn’t hide his huge grin as fans responded to the blistering tracks the band was producing. Slayer’s list of accolades is as massive as its sound. The band is heralded as one of the “Big 4” that helped define the genre of thrash metal alongside Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax, the latter of which Slayer took out to accompany it on its final tour. Bay Area legends Testament, Polish metal outfit Behemoth and Richmond, Virginia’s own Lamb of God, which is also out celebrating its 20th anniversary, also performed.

“I’ve always had a (expletive) good time up here with you guys,” Araya told the audience. “Make this one a fun one, an exciting one, cos we’re gonna make memories.”

It seemed like a difficult task, to cram 12 studio albums and nearly four decades into an hour-and-a-half set, but the roster of cuts was all-killer-no-filler. It included the usual suspects like “South of Heaven,” the night closer, “Angel of Death” and the all-too-fitting for the cold weather and rain, “Raining Blood.”

There were a few dusted-off tracks including the rarely-heard-live “Blood Red,” which was at the top of the set, and “Dittohead,” which crept in near the end. After the final song fans stuck around to hear what the band would say. Araya kept it simple as he walked the stage and his loyal followers kept up the “Slayer! Slayer! Slayer!” chant.

“Thank you everybody,” he said. “I want to thank you very much for your support. I want to thank you for everything you’ve given me. So, thank you very much. Goodnight and goodbye.”

From left, Jerry Torres and Ash Avila smile as they try BV’s Chicken now available in the permanent food court at the FivePoint Amphitheater in Irvine on Friday evening, May 11, 2018. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

A large selection of beer and wine available in the permanent food court at the FivePoint Amphitheater in Irvine on Friday evening, May 11, 2018. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

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The Amtrak Pacific Surfliner provides special late-night service to Los Angeles and San Diego for those wishing to take public transportation to FivePoint Ampitheatre in Irvine on show nights. They’re also offering a special buy one, get one free companion fare for select concerts. (Photos courtesy of Amtrak Pacific Surfliner)

Tater tots with chicken gravy and fontina cheese are now available in the permanent food court at the FivePoint Amphitheater in Irvine on Friday evening, May 11, 2018. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

The Amtrak Pacific Surfliner provides special late-night service to Los Angeles and San Diego for those wishing to take public transportation to FivePoint Ampitheatre in Irvine on show nights. They’re also offering a special buy one, get one free companion fare for select concerts. (Photos courtesy of Amtrak Pacific Surfliner)

Souvenir aluminum cups available with purchase of a Bacardi Rum craft cocktail now available at the FivePoint Amphitheater in Irvine on Friday evening, May 11, 2018. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

The Amtrak Pacific Surfliner provides special late-night service to Los Angeles and San Diego for those wishing to take public transportation to FivePoint Ampitheatre in Irvine on show nights. They’re also offering a special buy one, get one free companion fare for select concerts. (Photos courtesy of Amtrak Pacific Surfliner)

Noodles and dumplings are now available in the permanent food court at the FivePoint Amphitheater in Irvine on Friday, May 11, 2018. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

A variety of food trucks are available to concertgoers at the FivePoint Amphitheater in Irvine on Friday, May 11, 2018. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)

The Amtrak Pacific Surfliner provides special late-night service to Los Angeles and San Diego for those wishing to take public transportation to FivePoint Ampitheatre in Irvine on show nights. They’re also offering a special buy one, get one free companion fare for select concerts. (Photos courtesy of Amtrak Pacific Surfliner)

Earlier in the evening fans showed up to see Testament and chill in the grass at the venue. They lined up for food, which has changed slightly since last year. There were several food trucks like Spudrunners, The Big Cheese, Brooklyn New York Pizza and the Chef’s Tasting Spoon, which was quickly running out of its brisket mac and cheese. The venue has also brought in some “Top Chef” competitors including Orange County’s own Shirley Chung to serve up her Ms Chi Dim Sum dumplings and noodle salads ($13) and chef Freddy Vargas of BV’s Chicken who was selling delish tater tots with chicken gravy, Fontina cheese and green onions ($14).

The venue also basically has its mini BevMo on-site with a wide selection of wine and champagne by the bottle or glass (Justin, Dark Horse, Outside Cellar, Sterling, Silver Oak, Apothic, William Hill, Cakebread, Veuve Clicquot, Dom Perignon) and craft beer in tall cans (Founders, Stone Brewing, Golden Road, Coranado Brewing, Lagunitas). There are also craft cocktail booths and individual stands scattered throughout the venue using Tito’s Vodka, Smirnoff Vokda and Bacardi Rum.

Most fans were sticking to beer at this show as they roared along to Anthrax and the rain really started to kick in. Vocalist Joey Belladonna slid around the stage a few times before noting, “It’s slippery out there,” he said with a laugh and catching his breath. “I’m gonna fall down.”

They had a good time with “Caught in a Mosh,” “Evil Twin,” “Indians” and “Antisocial.” Guitarist Scott Ian, who managed to keep his iconic beard in top form even in the rain, was feeling the energy, pumping up the crowd for what was to come by asking “Do you like thrash metal?”

Apparently so. The audience was ready for Lamb of God and its fearless frontman Randy Blythe. He’s one of of the most dynamic and thoughtful leaders in metal music and he had this audience in the palm of his hand Friday night. The band is a machine, blasting through “Ruin” and “512.” The show was building to a peak with “Walk With me in Hell” when Blythe made the band stop playing as he noticed a fan go down in the mosh pit.

“You were here to get brutal … maybe worship Satan, but we’ve gotta take care of each other,” he said as he encouraged fans to make a path for paramedics to reach the injured.

“Man down … or woman down,” he said. “You all have long hair so it’s hard to tell.”

After the injured patron was helped out the show continued and as if right on cue with the guitars kicking in, the rain started falling harder. They finished the set with “Still Echos,” “Laid to Rest” and the fan-favorite, “Redneck.”

Kelli Skye Fadroski lives for entertainment. She’s worked at The Orange County Register since 2006 and has covered all things music, stand-up comedy, horror and more. When she’s not out reviewing a concert or interviewing some random famous person, she’s catching up on episodes of 'The Walking Dead,' somewhere sampling craft beer, enjoying Taco Tuesday or yelling at the contestants through the TV on 'Celebrity Name Game' for not knowing basic pop culture trivia. She’s also a diehard Detroit Lions fan.

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